A THOROUGHLY MISERABLE CAPITULATION
Buttler ton can’t hide scale of England rout
Do not be fooled by Adil Rashid and Jimmy Anderson somehow extending this third test into a final day. take away a maiden century of rare class from Jos Buttler and this has still been a thoroughly miserable capitulation from England.
Everyone must return to trent Bridge today for the last rites after Rashid survived being dismissed off a no ball and was then dropped by Virat Kohli to hang on with Anderson throughout an extra half-hour of this fourth day.
But when the final wicket is taken today — and the forecast is for dry weather — England will have to face the consequences of what will be a truly horrible defeat.
If only the rest of their batsmen could follow the examples of Buttler and Ben Stokes, who held India up with a brilliant fifthwicket stand of 169 full of the discipline, application and patience so sadly lacking in the top order.
Yet, after losing their first four wickets for 62, England saw their next four crash for just 10 runs once Buttler was dismissed by the second new ball to hurry India towards an emphatic victory that will be sealed early today.
the late resistance has only delayed what will be a mighty triumph for India, their imperious captain Kohli and one of the most impressive pace attacks ever to represent them, given how low they were after crashing to a humiliating defeat at Lord’s.
then, with England 2-0 up, all the talk was of England clinching this series in their nottingham stronghold before pushing for a 5-0 thrashing of the best test team in the world. How foolish we were to get so carried away.
But how different it might have been if Buttler could have held on to the end of the fourth day and how ironic it was that a batsman known for his white-ball flamboyance should be dismissed playing no stroke.
Buttler had earlier left the ball with aplomb as well as unfurling some classic cover drives to complete what was only his fifth first-class century in 136 innings. But it is one that indisputably ends any doubts over his test ability.
the lbw decision to the outstanding Jasprit Bumrah was a marginal bail-trimmer that was just about upheld by technology, but it was all the encouragement India needed to hammer home their undoubted superiority.
Jonny Bairstow, held back to no 7 because of his fractured finger, was bowled first ball and Bumrah’s wicked bouncer was too quick for Chris Woakes. When Stokes, who had batted with huge discipline himself to make the slowest of his 14 test halfcenturies, fell to Hardik Pandya the end seemed nigh.
It would have been had Bumrah not overstepped when claiming Rashid or if the India captain had held on to another stinging slip chance, but as it was the legspinner and Broad swung merrily to add 50 for England’s ninth wicket and then the last pair somehow hung on to the delayed close.
the most worrying passage of
England’s day came earlier because there are huge question marks now not only over the latest of Alastair Cook’s ever- changing opening partners but also England’s record runscorer himself.
England are determined to give Keaton Jennings the whole series to prove he can thrive at this level because they believe in him. But there has to be concern he is still getting out in identical fashion outside off stump.
It happened again here in the first over of the day and even though Jennings should still play at the Ageas Bowl next Thursday, he has to quickly find a way of coping against Ishant Sharma or his second Test coming will soon be at an end.
Cook has a mountain of runs and experience to weigh in his favour but, after again falling to Ishant from round the wicket, it is a question now of how long he can summon the mental strength needed to go on.
Worse was to come for England when captain Joe Root and, more forgivably, Ollie Pope showed they simply had not learned from repeated mistakes — nor from watching India bat with such skill on Monday.
Root has looked out of nick here and at Lord’s for the first time in his England career but there could be no excuse in the situation for the reckless way he offered KL Rahul the chance to take another sharp catch.
Pope is clearly a young batsman of considerable talent and potential but it is asking a lot of him to bat higher, at four, than he has ever done for Surrey and here he just tried to play too many shots with hard hands. It was no surprise when one of them proved his downfall, a wild flash at Mohammed Shami.
If Buttler had been taken on one by Rishabh Pant, then England would have been 64 for five and would likely have collapsed just as rapidly as in the sorry first innings when all 10 wickets went down in a solitary session.
At least the new vice-captain and Stokes delayed the inevitable, but once Buttler went the outcome was all but confirmed. It is just a case now of England’s moment of reckoning coming today instead.